Tidying My NYC Apartment (KonMari Method): Books
I love books, but for many years while training in residency I could barely keep up with reading scientific journals and leadership books that were assigned to me. Since moving to New York City, my appreciation for books has been re-kindled and deepened. One of the most special things living here are all of the book signing events. Authors who go on tour will more than likely have a stop here, and I've been to a lot of them. Because of this, I have a special connection with the books I've gotten signed. This deeper connection with books definitely affected my mentality when it came to keeping versus letting go my current stock.
Also, if you haven't checked out Part 1 of this tidying series and want to see how to fit all 4 seasons of a wardrobe into a NYC apartment closet, check it out here.
Cookbooks
It was hard to get of these when I first moved up here. They held sentimental value to me because my first apartment in North Carolina after moving from Florida, I spent a TON of time researching exactly which cookbooks to get. So each of them held a different purpose and vantage point for food. The reality now is that I don't need reference books. All of that is online. The books I want to keep now are ones where I want to support the author and appreciate their specific point of view.
Some of the books I decided to keep are:
- I Am A Filipino by Nicole Ponseca and Miguel Trinidad
- In the Small Kitchen by Cara Eisenpress and Phoebe Lapine
- Kintsugi Wellness by Candice Kumai
- Pretty Delicious by Candice Kumai
- Farm Food Volume 1: Fall & Winter by Kurt Timmermeister
- Farm Food Volume 2: Spring & Summer by Kurt Timmermeister
- Paella by Phaidon Press
Small confession... I'm excited there's room now to get Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat.
These were the ones I thanked and parted ways with...
Feminism and Culture
This is the special category for me where I've had most of these signed by the authors: Gloria Steinem, Roxane Gay, Jill Soloway, Cecile Richards, Maeve Higgins, Busy Philipps, Rebecca Traister, and Jose Antonio Vargas. It's basically my favorite shelf, and none of them are going anywhere. I'm hoping someday I can get Melinda Gates to sign my advanced copy of her new book...
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Self-Help and Professional Development
I've got the books from my administration residency and are good references and for teaching purposes when I have learners (students and residents) with me at work. NOTE: I need to look for more diversity in authorship for leadership and professional development. If you have suggestings for me, PLEASE share with me.
Some of my favorites:
- Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- Executive Presence by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
- The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins
- Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler
- Leading Change by John Kotter
Fiction
I've found that I have a preference for non-fiction when it comes to written medium. I only have 2 fiction books now; one was given to me (Sweetbitter, by Stephanie Danler) and one was purchased (Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee). I've accepted that for the time being can't get into stories as much when I'm reading versus watching on the television. For me, written (and audio) are for expanding my knowledge base and less for entertainment.
References
When it came to my pharmacy books, I only kept a few for reference. In reality, many things related to disease treatments go out of date every year so I kept ones that were quick references of the medications themselves and how they work. I also kept my law review books for the small chance I need to get licensed in another state someday.
To read, or not to read...
Finally, instead of keeping books that I might someday read, I passed them along to give someone else a spark of joy. I embraced the fact that I already have so many books in line waiting to be read and there will be more to come.
Have you gone through your bookshelves lately? What are your favorites?
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